The Buckhead and Vinings business associations and the Sandy Springs/Perimeter Chamber of Commerce all have one common goal: increasing membership and awareness in their respective communities.

“One of the things I would like the association to spend more energy on is getting back to our roots in interpersonal relationships,” said Brian Daughdrill, president-elect of the Buckhead Business Association. Daughdrill will become president Jan. 17.

“That’s how we accomplish our goals,” he said. “In the past, we haven’t spent as much time fostering those interpersonal relationships.” The group currently has about 400 members.

Another goal Daughdrill said he hoped the association would work toward is focusing more on service to the community.

He said the Community Alliance Committee was newly formed in order to help serve this goal.

“Growing membership is our general overall goal for 2013,” said Vinings Business Association chair Glenn Christian, who has been involved with the organization for six years. “Vinings is a unique community because it’s not an actual city. We hope to grow membership and expand the association throughout the community.” The association has about 160 active members, according to Christian.

Christian said this year’s focus would be business development.

“All of our speakers this year are focused on business development,” he said.

The association will announce its 2012 business of the year at its monthly luncheon Tuesday. The nominations are the BrightSide Cobb Vinings Edition, LGE Credit Union, the Marriott Courtyard Vinings Hotel, Social Vinings restaurant and the Vinings Historic Preservation Society.

Tom Mahaffey, executive director of the Sandy Springs/Perimeter group, said while membership was a goal as always, the chamber also hoped to continue two initiatives begun last year. The largest of the local associations, the group has about 450 members.

“We have a workforce alliance and healthcare collaborative that we started in 2012,” he said. “We want to work on moving forward with those.”

Mahaffey also said the chamber would be working with the city of Sandy Springs this year in economic development.

“We’re going to be working with the city to develop the village of Sandy Springs [city center],” he said.

The chamber president said the group was not making any significant changes in the new year.

“We’re pleased with the direction the chamber’s going in. We’re looking to continue down that path.”

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